Health

Ideas at work

Find initiatives and collaborations working on health-related issues and learn about effective strategies for action.

Initiatives and collaborations

North Dakota

Behavioral Health Services (NDDHS)
The Behavioral Health Services Division of the North Dakota Department of Human Services provides leadership for the planning, development, and oversight of a system of care for children, adults, and families with severe emotional disorders, mental illness, and/or substance abuse issues. NDDHS also includes the Children’s Mental Health Services.

Behavioral Health Stakeholders
The Behavioral Health Stakeholders enhance the quality of services to citizens of North Dakota who are challenged with behavioral health and/or substance abuse issues. The group has identified needs in North Dakota and is working on solutions to meet those needs. Types of behavior health services addressed by this group include adult mental health, children's mental health, substance abuse, and workforce development.

CassClayAlive!
Previously referred to as the Cass Clay Healthy People Initiative, this Dakota Medical Foundation-led initiative is a collaboration of health-minded organizations that have joined to make Cass and Clay counties the healthiest place in America to live, work, and play. It includes ChildcareAlive!, SchoolsAlive!, FaithCommunityAlive!, and StreetsAlive! as well as other activities.

Community Healthcare Association of the Dakotas
The Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas (CHAD) is a membership organization serving as the Primary Care Association for North and South Dakota which strives to enhance access to quality primary care through services to its members. CHAD works with Community Health Center (CHC) members and other community leaders to find solutions for improving healthcare options in areas of the Dakotas that need it most.

Comprehensive Health Association of North Dakota
The CHAND offers health insurance to North Dakota residents who either are unable to find adequate health insurance coverage in the private market due to medical conditions or who have lost their employer-sponsored group health insurance.

Dakota Medical Foundation
Dakota Medical Foundation leads initiatives to create a region of the healthiest people, build the fundraising success of health-related nonprofits, and invest in new ideas that can create widespread health improvement.

Family HealthCare Center
The Center is a private, non-profit health care provider serving patients in Cass County, North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota. We are dedicated to providing quality family-centered health and life care services that are available to everyone in the communities we serve.

Healthy North DakotaHealthy North Dakota is a dynamic, statewide partnership that brings together partners and stakeholders to identify common strategies to address health issues. Healthy North Dakota's framework supports North Dakotans in their efforts to make healthy choices by focusing on wellness and prevention – in schools, workplaces, senior centers, homes and anywhere people live, learn, work and play.

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Best Practices, Promising Practices and Local Efforts
The IHS
website contains a collection of prevention and intervention strategies that works to improve the health of American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Best Practices are programs formally evaluated to be effective and able to be implemented, Promising Practices are programs not formally evaluated but identified by experts as effective programs, and Local efforts are programs not evaluated but identified ad producing positive results.

March of Dimes North DakotaMarch of Dimes is a national organization working to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The North Dakota chapter offers programs and services in communities across North Dakota to prevent premature birth and birth defects by educating moms and offering support to families in need.

Mental Health America of North Dakota
Mental Health America of North Dakota is a non-profit organization that promotes mental wellness for the health and well-being of all North Dakotans through education, advocacy, understanding, and access to quality care for all individuals.

North Dakota Area Health Education Center
The North Dakota Area Health Education Center (AHEC) promotes the collaboration of schools and community organizations to engage in a comprehensive strategy to help eliminate the shortage of health care professionals in underserved areas and correct the uneven distribution of health care providers in the state.

North Dakota Center for Nursing
The mission of the North Dakota Center for Nursing is to guide the ongoing development of a well-prepared and diverse nursing workforce to meet the needs of the citizens of North Dakota through research, education, recruitment and retention, advocacy and public policy.

North Dakota Dental Association
The North Dakota Dental Association (NDDA) is a constituent organization chartered by the American Dental Association and is the leading advocate of oral health promoting educationand service to its members and the public.

North Dakota Department of Health
The mission of the North Dakota Department of Health is to protect and enhance the health and safety of all North Dakotans and the environment in which we live.

North Dakota Department of Health, Division of Family Health
The Division administers state and federal programs designed to improve the health of North Dakota families. The division provides funding, technical assistance, training, needs assessment, educational materials and other resources to local public health units, schools and other public and private entities that offer health services in North Dakota communities. Programs and information are available on a variety of topics, including breastfeeding, cribs for kids, early childhood comprehensive systems program, infant care, newborn screening program, optimal pregnancy outcome program, pregnancy, among others.

North Dakota Department of Human Services
Provides services that help vulnerable North Dakotans of all ages to maintain or enhance their quality of life, which may be threatened by lack of financial resources, emotional crises, disabling conditions, or an inability to protect themselves.

North Dakota Hospital Association
The North Dakota Hospital Association (NDHA) is a voluntary trade organization of North Dakota's licensed hospitals committed to advancing public policy and fostering excellence in medical and health services.

North Dakota Long Term Care Association
NDLTCA is a professional and advocacy organization representing assisted living, basic care, and nursing facilities in North Dakota. We are an affiliate of the American Health Care Association and the National Center For Assisted Living, representing not-for-profit and proprietary facilities in our state. Member facilities care for nearly 14,000 frail elderly and disabled individuals annually.

North Dakota Public Health Association
The Association is an organization that gives a voice to public health matters and provides opportunities to partner, create new vision, and be an instrument affecting the health status for citizens all across the state. It is a conduit to bring together persons interested in public health for the purpose of fostering a better understanding of public health problems and practices and to facilitate the interchange of ideas relating to methods for solutions of these problems. NDPHA aids in the promotion of state and local legislation in the interest of public health with particular focus on the interrelationship between health and quality of life.

North Dakota Rural Health Association
The North Dakota Rural Health Association brings together diverse interests and provides a unified voice to promote and enhance the quality of rural health through leadership, advocacy, coalition building, education and communication.

PartnerSHIP 4 Health
This regional awardee of Minnesota's State Health Improvement Program (SHIP) is a collaboration of community partners in Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, and Wilkin Counties working to reduce costs associated with chronic disease and improve the health of our residents through preventive strategies that support sustainable changes in our schools, communities, workplaces, and health care settings. SHIP is the prevention component of Minnesota's 2008 Health Care Reform funded by the Minnesota state legislature.

Ronald McDonald Care Mobile of North Dakota
The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a mobile dental clinic on wheels, delivers urgently needed dental care to underserved children ages 0 through 21 in their own neighborhoods in the western half of North Dakota. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile of North Dakota is owned and operated by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Bismarck. We have partnered with Bridging the Dental Gap of Bismarck, a non-profit dental clinic, to establish the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Program. We strive to deliver our services in an atmosphere of kindness, compassion, caring and respect.

North Dakota Mental Health Counselors Association
The North Dakota Mental Health Counselor Association (NDMHCA) is a community of mental health professionals throughout the state. The NDMHCA works together to have an impact on the lives of North Dakotans while advancing the profession.

North Dakota Department of Health Oral Health Program
The Program seeks to prevent and reduce oral diseases by: 1) Promoting the use of innovative and cost-effective approaches to oral health promotion and disease prevention. 2) Fostering community and statewide partnerships to promote oral health and improve access to dental care. 3) Increasing awareness of the importance of preventive oral health care. 4) Identifying and reducing oral health disparities among specific population groups. 5) Facilitating the transfer of new research into practice. The Department has funding from the DentaQuest Foundation.

North Dakota Hospital Association
The North Dakota Hospital Association (NDHA) is a voluntary trade organization of North Dakota's licensed hospitals committed to advancing public policy and fostering excellence in medical and health services.

Nationwide

American Sexual Health Association
The American Sexual Health Association promotes the sexual health of individuals, families and communities by advocating sound policies and practices and educating the public, professionals and policy makers, in order to foster healthy sexual behaviors and relationships and prevent adverse health outcomes.

Guttmacher Institute
The Guttmacher Institute continues to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights through an interrelated program of research, policy analysis and public education designed to generate new ideas, encourage enlightened public debate and promote sound policy and program development. The Institute’s overarching goal is to ensure the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health for all people worldwide.

Indian Health Service (IHS)
IHS is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, responsible for proving health services to federally recognized American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Let's Move! Cities, Towns and Counties
This initiative was launched by the First Lady in 2010 and is dedicated to solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. As part of this initiative, Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties calls upon local elected officials to adopt long-term, sustainable and holistic approaches to addressing childhood obesity.

National Council of La Raza
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. To achieve its mission, NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas—assets/investments, civil rights/immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health.

Rural Health Information Hub
The Rural Health Information Hub, formerly Rural Assistance Center, is a rural health and human services information portal that helps rural communities and stakeholders access the full range of available programs, funding, and research that can enable them to provide quality health and human services to rural residents.

SAMHSA Mental Health Treatment Facility Locator
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is pleased to provide this on-line resource for locating mental health treatment facilities and programs. The Mental Health Treatment Locator section of the Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator lists facilities providing mental health services to persons with mental illness. It includes 1) Public mental health facilities that are funded by their State mental health agency (SMHA) or other State agency or department, 2) Mental health treatment facilities administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 3) Private for-profit and non-profit mental health facilities that are licensed by the State or accredited by a national accreditation organization.

Research Based Strategies

ChangeLab Solutions
ChangeLab Solutions provides community-based solutions for America’s most common and preventable diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and asthma. Our solutions promote the common good by making healthier choices easier for everyone.

The Community Guide
This guide to community preventive services includes information on programs and policy interventions that have proven effective across a range of public health topics.

Lifecourse Interventions to Nurture Kids Successfully (LINKS), Child Trends
Child Trends’ What Works/LINKS (Lifecourse Interventions to Nurture Kids Successfully) database is a searchable register of over 700 programs that have had at least one randomized, intent-to-treat evaluation to assess child or youth outcomes related to education, life skills, and social/emotional, mental, physical, behavioral, or reproductive health. It also contains syntheses of lesson learned from experimentally evaluated programs in the LINKS database.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Model Programs Guide
A database of scientifically-proven programs that address the entire continuum of youth services from prevention through sanctions to reentry, including substance abuse, mental health, and education programs. It contains information about evidence-based juvenile justice and youth prevention, intervention, and reentry programs. It is a resource for practitioners and communities about what works, what is promising, and what does not work in juvenile justice, delinquency prevention, and child protection and safety.

Social Programs that Work
Includes information about social program interventions across an array of topics, including early childhood through postsecondary education, housing, employment, crime, and health and mental health. Sponsored by the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy.